Method of and apparatus for printing



Oct. 12 1926. 1,602,436

H. c. JONES METHQD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING Filed Nov. 5, 1925ii'jjizggj-zx Svweutoz c. 2014 Patented Get. 12, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFKIE- HARRY-C. JONES, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF AND APFPABATUS FOR PRINTING.

Application filed November useful for photographic contact printing.

It is old to provide printing apparatus known as printing frames forcontact printing, which consists in general of a rubber blanket havingmarginal flanges extending around the same to engage a thick glasspressure plateso that a space is formed between the said pressure plate,the blanket and its marginal edges which engage the pressure plate; andthis space so formed is adapted to receive theentire sensitized surface,such for example as a sensitized zinc plate, and is also adapted toreceive the neg ative from which the design is to be printed onto thesensitized surface of the zinc plate. \Vhen the zinc and negative areplaced within the space and the glass is latched down on the rubberblanket, air is exhausted out of thespare to thereby cause a firmcontact between the negative and the sensitized surface, and a print ismade by suitable ex posure to a light source. Such apparatus is notadapted for contact printing in the case where it is impossible orundesirable to place the entire sensitized surface within the con linesof the rubber blanket and glass pres sure plate, or where no blanket canbe used. F urthermore, such apparatus is very heavy and requires a verysturdy machine to handle it when it is being used.

Various other printing frames have been proposed in which a seal isformed between the printing frame proper and the sensitized siface and.in each the photographic plate to be printed from is placed within thecon tines of the seal and is adapted to be moved into intimate contactwith the sensitized surface in various ways. This apparatus necesitcs arather heavy complicated structure which also makes it necessary to usemassive printing machines in order to prop erly handle these framesaccurately. In add on to this, embossing of the thin zinc p e bearingthe sensitized surface often re sults at points beyond theouter edges ofthe photographic plate.

in cases where the design to be print-ed is carried on a thin flexibleplate, such for exan'iple as a celluloid or gelatintransparency, it isusually customary to employthe following method. The. flexible.transparency is mechanically pressed intoaintimate' 5, 1925. Serial N0.66,896.

Contact with the sensitized surfaceby a member between which and thesensitized surface a vacuum is produced. Since the flexible member iswithin the space from which the air is exhausted it-is not acted upondirectly and merely mechanically pressed between the members which arerelatively moved together by vacuum means. One of 'the objectsof'thisinvention is to provide a suitable method of and apparatus forproducing a more even and uniform contact between a member to be printedfrom and a member to be printedupon.

Another object ofthe invention is to pro vide apparatus which'may'behandled withrangement, construction and combination of.

the apparatus and means hereinafter described in accordance withcertainpreferred embodiments thereof, and the invention will be moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Further objects of the invention will more fully appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsillustrating, by way of example, the preferred embodiments of theapparatus used in carrying out the. method.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of one embodiment of the apparatus used incarrying out the method,

Fig. 2 is a section taken at 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3' shows a section of a modified form of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 shows a, section of another modification,

Fig. 5 shows a section of another modification,

Fig. 6 cation,

Fig. 7 illustrates a modified form of the apparatus, and,

Fig. 8 is a section taken at 8.

shows a section of another modifi- 8 of Fig. 7.

plate or ing cloth, etc. The design-to-be printed may p oegranhieally.madend;- e

either a positive or negative; or it may be made by any other suitablemeans. The design may be carried on a transparent medium or on atranslucent medium; depending upon the strength of the light used inprinting and the degree of sensitiveness of the surface upon which it isto be printed. Since the distinction between transparent and translucentis merely one of degree (a translucent body being semi-transparent), itis to be understood that where the term transparent or transparency isused, it is used in its generic sense and relates to bodies which allowsufiicient light to pass therethrough to affect a photo-sensitive surface.

Referring to the drawings and more par ticularly to Figs. 1 and 2: asuitable frame 1 is provided for receiving a transparency 2, which inthe present embodiment is shown as a glass photographic plate. Acover-like member 3, in the present instance made of resilient rubber.adapted to fit closely over the frame 1, comprises a downwardlyextending body portion provided with an outwardly extending bead l, anda resilient sealing portion having lips 5 and G. In the presentembodiment it is only essential that the top part comprising the sealinglips 5 and 6 be elastic, and therefore the lower bot y portion may bemade of a non-resilient material. The lip 5 is adapted to encircle thatportion of the transparency 2 to be printed from, and is adapted tocontact with the upper face of the transparency 2; while the lip 6 isadapted to contact with the sensitized surface to be printed upon. suchfor example as the thin zinc plate 7 bearing a sensitized surface. Thelip 6 is preferably cupped up, and bothof the lips 5 and 6 are very thinand tapered to a feather edge, so that an etlicient but thin seal isprovided for the insertion between the transparency and the sensitizedsurface. It will therefore be seen that the member provides means forcentering, i. e. properly positioning trans versely of the frame 1, andholding the plate 2 onto the "Jame 1, and also provides a sealing meanswhich seals off the. space 8. Suitable means is provided for attachingthe member 3 to the frame 1, such for example as the toggle clamps 9which are attached to the frame 1 and are adapted to engage the bead tofirmly and positively clamp the member 3 to the frame 1. However, whenthe member 3 is constructed to snugly lit the frame 1 and particularlywhere it is made of resilient material, the clamping means such as thetoggles 9 are not essential, since suitable resilient means is therebyprovided to hold the member 3 to the frame 1. Suitable lugs 10 areprovid d for handling the frame or for attachin it to a printingmachine, where this is desirable.

A hole 11 is formed in the plate 2 within he limits of the surroundinglip 5 and is adapted to communicate with a tube or pipe 12, which formsa means of communication between the sealed-off space 8 and a suitableair exhausting means, such for example a vacuum pump not shown). Thetube 12 is provided with a cupped sucker end 13 which permits the tubeto make a good contact with the bottom of the plate 2, which will bedesignated as the outside of the plate 2 with reference to the space S.The tube 12 is also provided with a shut-off cocl: 1.1-3; which servesto close off the space 8 after the air has been exhausted and the vacuumpump disconnected.

In Fig. 3 a slight modification is shown, wherein the transparency orplate, which in this modification will be indicated as 2", bevelled atits edges and is held to the frame 1 by additional clamping means suchfor example as a plurality of clamps 15 attached to the frame by bolts16. The centering and sealing member is designated as 3 and a lip 5thereof which engages the plate 2 is suiticiently long to ex end overthe clamps 15. In this view. the air has been exhausted from the space 8and the plates 2 and 7 are shown in intimate face to face contact; theplate 7 having flexed slightly to allow the thickness of the lips 5 and(5.

F -1 shows a slight modification of and is similar to Fig. 2, with thefollowing e3:- ception; in this instance the transparency is shown as aflexible sheet or plate 2 and to prevent this flexible plate from beingforced up against the plate 7 by the pressure exerted on the outside ofthe tube 12 while the air is being exiausted from the space S. andtherebv causing a resulting embossing: ot' the plate 7, a bracket 1?provided fourigilll r holding the tube 12 to the frame 1. This bracket,therefore, rigidly holds the tube 12 in a predetermined position withrespect to the plate 2' Fig. 5 shows a slight modification of thestructure shown in Fig. 3 and differs therefrom in the followingrespects. The additional clamping means in this ins ance are readilyadjustable with respect to the frame 1 and are constructed in thefollowing manner. Brackets 18 are attached to the frame 1" in therespective recesses 19 and 112.55 20 are pivoted respectively to thebrackets 18 and are provided with bevelled upper end portions 21 adaptedto engage the bevelled edge of the plate 2 The lower end of the lovers20 extend to the outside of the frame 1 through suitable openings formedin the centerl a' and sealing member 3. The lower end of each of theever. 20 is threaded and is engaged by a suitable thumb sclei which ismounted in the frame 1 free to be rotated with respect thereto. but heldagainst axial movement. It will therefore be Seen that by adjustment ofthe screws 23 the position of the plate may be adjusted with respect tothe, frame 1", before the plate 2 is moved adjacent the sensitizedsurface or even after the member 3 has been placed in position, butbefore the plate and sensitized surface have been brought into contact.

Fig. 6 shows a modification of Fig. 5 and differs therefrom in thefollowing particulars. The frame 1 carries a plurality of clampingmembers 20 similar to the clamping members 20 above referred to, andthese are adj ustableby means of the thumb screws 23 to properlyposition the plate 2 with respect to the frame 1. The sealing means inthis instance is designated as 3 and comprises the lip portions 5 and 6.The member 3 is not adapted to-be in any way attached to the .frame 1butif desired may be attached directly to the marginal face of the plate 2by suitable Ineanssuch as an adhesive.

Referring, to Fig. 7 the zinc plate or sensitized surface 7 isrepresented as being a large surface onto a part only of which it isdesired to print a design or image from a part only of the transparency2. A resilient sea 3, such for example as that shown in Fig. 6, isplaced around the design on that portion of the transparency to beprinted from, and may be attached thereto by suitable means such' as anadhesive if desired. The transparency is provided with a hole 11 withinthe seal 3 for purposes described hereinbefore. The transparency 2 isthen moved over thatportion of the sen sitized surface to be printedupon and then the seal 3 is brought into sealing engagement with thesensitized surface; thereby forming a sealedoif space defined byadjacent inner faces of the transparency and sensitized surface and theseal 3, and including that portion of the transparency to be printedfrom and that portion of the sensitized surface to be printed upon. Acommunicating tube 12 is provided in a manner similar to and forpurposes as described :hereinbefore. Instead of placingthe plate 2 overthe sensitized surface 7,. the sensitized surface 7 may be placed overthe plate 2. Also the two members 2 and 7 may be placedwin positionwiththe seal 3 between them, the important feature being the relativesuperimposing of the two plates with the seal between them and incontact with respective adjacent surfaces of the two plates. It willbeobvious to those skilled in the art afterunderstanding my invention thatthe transparent plate maybe suitably registered with respect to thesensitized surface in various ways.

Inthe embodiment shown'in Figs. 14;-

- surfaces. hand: Suitable. registrar tion marks may be placed on thetransparency and maybe brought into alignment with suitable registrationmarks on the sen" sitized surface. Also the frame may be carried by asuitable carriage such as is conunon in photo-composing n'iachines andmay be brought into predetermined position. thereby. Another way ofobtaining proper registration would be to set the frame in properapproxii'i'iate position and then adjust the transparency to the exactposition by n'icans of the adjustment means shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

Operation.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the transparpncy 2 bearing the design to beprinted 15 placed upon the frame 1, and the memher 3 is placed inposition as shown in Fig.

and is firmly secured to the frame 1 by the toggle clamps 9. Thiscenters, i. e. transversely positions, the-plate 2 with respect to theframe 1 and also holds the plate securely to the frame. The frame is nownoved adjacent the zinc plate bearing the sensitized. surface until thedesign carried by the plate 2 is in register with that portion of thesensitized surface to be printed upon and the lip 6 is then pressedagainst the sensitized surface. The tube 12 is placed over the hole 11and the air is ex hausted from. the sealed-off space 8 formed over thedesign to be printed until the plate 2 and the plate 7 are forced intointimate contact. The zinc being fairly thin permits sufficient fiexureto allow for the thickness of the sealing portion 5'6. The portion nowin intimate contact is exposed to a suit able light source to therebyphotographically print the design from the plate 2 onto the sensitizedsurface. The pipe 12 is open to the atmosphere thereby allowing air toreenter the space 8 and permitting the frame to be removed for asubsequent printing.

In cases where the sensitized surface is too rigid to properly flex inorder to accommodate the thickness of the sealing portion 5-6 a flexibletransparency such as 2 (Fig. 1) may be employed; in which case theflexi-' ble plate 2 will adjust itself to the sensitized surface therebyproducing intimate contact between the member to be printed from and themember to be printed upon.

It is, of course, obvious that aflexible plate such as 2 may also beused in print ing upon a flexible sensitized surface.

is that such a flexible plateamay beused without the danger of forcing.the adjacent surfaces,together-adjacent that point where. the air isbeingexhausted. This is. of great importanceaine cases such asillustrated in One of the. particular features of this inventionthecombination of a frame for receiving a first plate to be printed fromonto a second plate bearing a sensitized surface, means for holding saidsecond plate on said frame, and encircling sealing n'ieans adapted to beinterposed between said sensitized surface and said first plate andprovided with opposite faces adapted respectively to firmly contact withadjacent faces of said sensitized surface and said first plate tothereby form a scaled-off space between said plates, one of said platesbeing provided with an opening extending from said space to the outsideof said plate, means of communication for connecting said opening andspace with suitable air exhausting means for forcing said platestogether, and attachment means for rigidly holding said means ofcommunication to said frame in a predetermined position with respect tosaid plate bearing said opening.

5. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a supportfor receiving a transparency to be printed from onto a sensitizedsurface, and combined holiding and sealing means adapted to jointly holdsaid transparency to said support and to lie between adjacent faces ofsaid transparency and sensitized surface and surround a portion on saidtransparency to be printed from when said transparency and sensitizedsurface are relatively superimposed one with respect to the other,whereby a seal is formed between sai l plates surrounding that portionto be printed.

6. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a supportfor receiving a first plate to be printed from onto a second platebearing sensitized surface, combined holding and sealing means adaptedto jointly hold said first plate to said support and to lie betweenadjacent faces of said first and second plates and surround a portion onsaid first plate to be printed from when one of said plates issuperimposed on the other of said plates, whereby a sealed-off space isformed between said plates including that portion to be printed, one ofsaid plates be ing provided with an opening within said seal adapted tobe placed in coinn'ninication with suitable air exhausting means, andmeans of communication for exhausting the air from the sealed-off spaceprovided between the first and second plate by said seal, to therebyforce the adjacent faces of said plates into intimate contact.

7 In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a supportfor receiving a first plate to be printed from onto a second platebearing a sensitized surface, combined holding and sealing means adaptedto ointly hold said first plate to said support and to lie betweenadjacent faces of said first and second plates and surround a portion onsaid first plate to be printed from when one of said plates issuperimposed on the other of said plates, whereby a sealed-off space isformed between said plates including that portion to be printed, andmeans of communication for exhausting the air from the sealed-oil spaceprovided between the first and second plate by said seal, to therebyforce the adjacent faces of said plates into intimate contact.

8. In apparatus of the character described, thecombination of a supportfor receiving a first plate to be printed from onto a second platebearing a sensitized surface, combined centering and sealing meansadapted to jointly center said first plate on said support and to liebetween adjacent faces of said first and second plates and surround aportion on said first plate to be printed from when one of said platesis superimposed on the other of said plates, and clamping means forsecurely fastening said combined centering and sealing means to saidsupport, whereby said first plate is held to said support and a seal isformed between said plates surrounding that portion to be printed.

9. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a supportfor receiving a first plate to be printed from onto a second platebearing a sensitized surface, combined centering and sealing meansadapted to jointly center said first plate on said support and to liebetween adjacent faces of said first and second plates and surround aportion on said first plate to be printed from when one of said platesis superimposed on the other of said plates, clamping means for securelyfastening said combined centering and sealing means to said support,whereby said first plate is held to said support and a seal is formedbetween said plates sur rounding that portion to be printed, one of saidplates being provided with an opening within said seal adapted to beplaced in communication with suitable air exhausting means, and means ofcommunication for exhausting the air from the sealed-off space providedbetween the first and second plate by said seal, to thereby force theadjacent faces of said plates into intimate contact.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY C. JONES.

